This year has been one for the books. So I turned to books when I needed to step back, remember all that God has done in the world. Reading reminds me of the creativity that human beings have been given, and it’s one of my favorite parts of life if I’m being honest. When we are creative as human beings, we reflect the Creator who made everything around us.
So here are my top 5 favorite books I read during 2020. Not all of them were released in 2020, but this is the year I found these wonderful stories. I will quickly admit there are a few books that are not making this list which surprised me. For one, I am a huge Brandon Mull fan, and while I enjoyed the latest Dragonwatch book, it didn’t wow me like the ones on my list this year. I also read quite a bit of non-fiction, but none of those made my list either.
#5: Alex Rider: Nightshade by Anthony Horowitz
I have been an Alex Rider fan since 2006 when I saw the film based on book #1, Stormbreaker. I have read every Alex Rider book since then, and when I saw Nightshade was releasing, I knew I had to pick it up and read it.
Horowitz never disappoints. This book was non-stop action, put Alex Rider in new frightening predicaments, and had me gasp out loud a couple of times (always my true test of a good book!). With great pacing, the return of some series favorites, and a super creepy villain plot this time around, Horowitz is at the top of his game.
#4: Gaal the Conqueror by John White
This book surprised me. After the first book in the series, The Sword Bearer, I wasn’t sure if the second book would live up to the same level of story, but also wouldn’t be quite so obvious with the allegory present here. However, while the allegory to a Biblical story is pretty obvious from the beginning, there are other elements of this book that elevate it to #4 on this list.
For starters, the final “battle” is intense, frightening, and had me shout “No!” out loud at the pages as I flipped them frantically to see what would happen next. One thing happens near the end that had me on the edge of my seat all the rest of the way through. The set up here is also intense, leaving the lead characters with a very intriguing mission to accomplish.
I haven’t finished this series yet, but I have picked up books #3-#6 at a local used bookstore, so I’m eager to see what happens next!
#3: The Silent Noisy Night by Jill Roman Lord
Another surprise to me was how much this short board book about Christmas would mean to me. This past year I have been discovering just how often God celebrates throughout Scripture. Too often growing up I viewed God as distant and stoic and emotionless. But the truth is that God often celebrates, especially when it comes to the people God has created!
This book emphasizes the sheer celebration of the birth of Jesus. When Jesus was born, the clock starting ticking on death and sin. Jesus went on to conquer sin and death once and for all through his death and resurrection, and that is certainly something to celebrate!
The other thing I loved here was the artwork, from the animals to the backgrounds — everything is incredibly well done. This is definitely on my list of favorites for 2020, but also on my list of favorite Christmas books!
#2: Sands of Nezza by M.L. Forman
Okay. This book right here had downright one of the best first 150 pages of any book I’ve ever read. The writing was top notch, the mystery was confounding and drew me in instantly, and also the tense pace and action had me barely breathing as I turned the pages desperately needing to know what was about to happen. This is book #4 in the Adventurers Wanted series, which really takes a lot of aspects from high fantasy similar to The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, and amps them up for a Middle Grade/Young Adult audience.
The character building here is also fascinating, especially considering the plot reveals from the previous book in the series. I couldn’t wait to see how it all worked out in the end. This book also introduced an overarching series threat I didn’t see coming, and couldn’t wait to find out more about.
The only downside was the ending faltered slightly before picking back up to bring it all to the finish line. However, even with a slight stumble near the end, this was one of my favorites from this year.
#1: Albrek’s Tomb by M.L. Forman
This book takes my top spot for the year due not only to the expansive plot, character development, action, side adventures, and twists along the way, but also for the downright cozy feeling of this book.
The best way I can describe it is like this: have you ever finished a series of books and felt like there was closure, which made you happy, but also you wished there was more in the world of the series, and an almost panic comes over you that the book is ending and there won’t be any more from this particular world you have enjoyed so much over the course of a novel? That’s the feeling I had reading this book, which is book #3 in the Adventurers Wanted series by M.L. Forman.
While it’s the middle of the series, this book was one that I immediately thought: I’m going to re-read this book someday. For those who know me, I rarely ever re-read books. I have always felt as though there are so many good books out there to read that I wouldn’t want to waste time re-reading one I’ve already read. But the journey for the characters here is so captivating that I knew one day I would revisit this world and enjoy every minute of it once again.
Also, major shout out to the plot twist of all plot twists in this book. It had such a creepy build up and then came out of nowhere in a great way, that I was instantly excited to see what might happen next.
Well, that’s it for 2020. So many great books I had the privilege of reading this year. Here’s to 2021 and a whole year more of reading incredible stories, insightful thoughts, and inspiring fiction and non-fiction.